North Carolina (17-15) vs. DePaul (16-12)
Smith Center, Chapel Hill
9:00 p.m., ESPN
Who's Next?
The winner of the Carolina-DePaul game will meet the winner of Wyoming-Eastern Washington on Monday or Tuesday at a site to be determined later.
And here's the full NIT Bracket.
PREGAME QUOTES
Matt Doherty
"We are excited to still be playing in a national tournament. This is a great opportunity for our team to continue to grow and develop, not only this year but for next season. The experience and exposure you can get by playing in the NIT are very valuable."
LINK: Doherty's Monday Quotes
Melvin Scott
"Coach asked how we felt and the leaders, Jon and Will, they won't be here next year and even they said we should just focus on getting better. I respected them for that because they could have been selfish about it - like they don't care because they won't be here next year - but they made it clear that we need something like this to get better as a team and build our chemistry."
LINK: Q&A with Melvin Scott
David Noel
"I'm eager. It's just, even though we didn't make the NCAA Tournament, we've got to take this chance in the NIT to get better. With such a young team, this is going to be a great experience for us because a lot of the teams go to the NIT and boost themselves and the next year they make the NCAA. ... I'm pretty sure it'll be crowded [at the Smith Center]. Just because it's the NIT doesn't mean people aren't going to come see us play. It's still Carolina basketball, no matter where we're playing at."
LINK: Q&A with David Noel
Probable Starting Lineup:
Drake Diener (6-5, G, So.) – 7.5 ppg, 3.5 apg
LeVar Seals (6-4, G, So.) – 3.2 ppg
Quemont Greer (6-7, F, So.) – 9.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Andre Brown (6-9, F, Jr.) – 9.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg
Sam Hoskin (6-9, C, Sr.) – 15.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg
Key Reserves:
Delonte Holland (6-6, F, Jr.) – 11.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Joe Tulley (6-2, G, Sr.) – 4.8 ppg
Marlon London (6-5, G, Sr.) – 3.5 ppg
Marlon Brooks (6-1, G, Sr.) – 3.2 ppg
DePaul Info
Schedule
Stats
Roster
Photo Gallery
Sam Hoskin ... Andre Brown
Delonte Holland ... Drake Diener
Quemont Greer ... Dave Leitao
(Photos courtesy the AP.)
Ticket Info
For those Carolina fans who want an upclose view of a game at the Smith Center, Tuesday night's NIT first round matchup against DePaul may be just the ticket you have been waiting for. Because of the quick turnaround time between Sunday night's selection and Tuesday's tipoff, most tickets for the NIT game will be general admission, meaning three-quarters of the lower level seats will be first-come, first-served. Smith Center doors will open at 7 p.m.
Only sections 105-112 (behind the two team benches) will be reserved in the lower level.
Tickets will go on sale on Monday at 8 a.m. They may be purchased over the phone at 1-800-722-4335 or 919-962-2296 or by fax at 919-962-5529. Tickets may also be purchased at the Smith Center Box Office on Monday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to pick up will call tickets in advance. Tickets purchased on Monday will be available beginning Tuesday at 8 a.m.
Tickets are $15. Seating will be first-come, first-served in lower-level sections 100-104 and 113-133 and all upper-level sections from row E-Y.
Student tickets are $5. Students may purchase four (4) student tickets with each UNC OneCard. Student riser seating will NOT be in effect for this game.